RobertGrayDirect Team

RobertGrayDirect Market Research Client Support ACPP Study Team Advisors Contacts



Robert C Gray – Founder, Senior Analyst

 

Robert Gray is a widely recognized, trusted, senior executive analyst consultant to the computer Storage Industry.  He brings strong leadership, implementation, and forward-looking insight to consulting engagements and to the Storage Industry.  Robert’s passion for the user-technology intersection and his understanding of technological innovation are the base for his commitment to client and Storage Industry success.  Robert’s unusual breadth and depth of technical and market understanding is derived from his extensive experience in product development, product marketing, and product management roles, culminating in his 12-year role as Storage Industry analyst/consultant at International Data Corporation.  

Robert made significant contributions, and holds several patents, in a series of development and product management positions at Digital Equipment Corporation and other high-tech IT suppliers.  He was most recently Research Vice President, Storage Systems at IDC. Robert began his career with BEE and MEE degrees from Cornell University and graduate study in Communications Management at the Wharton and Annenberg Schools, University of Pennsylvania. 

Reach Robert: rgray@robertgraydirect.com 

James Opfer – Senior Analyst, Storage Infrastructure

   

James Opfer combines a broad understanding of the intersection of server and storage technology with a detailed knowledge of the special problems related to the networking of storage and servers. He provides quantitative and qualitative information and consulting related to storage networking.  Clients depend on James for accurate, meaningful quantitative market data and perceptive insights into the evolving roles of incumbent and disruptive storage network technologies. 

  

James has over twenty years experience in magnetic storage technology. At the Hewlett-Packard Company his last position was director of the Computer Peripherals Laboratory, responsible for research and development of storage and other computer peripherals technologies. He left to join Komag as Group Vice President, responsible for all research and development of thin film magnetic disk products.

James was most recently a Gartner Research Vice President in the Storage Group where he was an industry analyst for seven years specializing in storage network infrastructure.

James has a BSEE degree from Valparaiso University and a Ph. D. in physics from Washington University. 

Reach James: James.Opfer@RobertGrayDirect.com 

 

Bill North – Senior Analyst, Storage Systems

 

Bill North’s knowledge of both systems and software gives him a unique perspective, and allows him to offer valuable strategic insights for both systems and software companies participating in the dynamic market for storage solutions.  He is computer industry veteran with experience, ranging from operating systems development to manufacturing engineering, marketing, strategic planning, business development, market research, and general management, with more than 20 years of storage-side experience.  

Bill has worked with industry and technology leaders, including IBM, VERITAS Software, Adaptec, Mylex, and Storage Dimensions, and has been an innovator in the development of high-reliability RAID systems and network-attached storage controllers. He was an early proponent of the development of storage area networking (SAN) technologies, and has helped establish strategic industry initiatives and partnership programs to improve the technology and accelerate widespread SAN adoption.

Bill maintains close contact with the end-user community, and has been a frequent participant in independent trade organizations and standards bodies, including the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) and the RAID Advisory Board. He is the past chair of the SNIA Education Committee. He is a regular speaker and panel member at such events as Comdex, PC Expo, NetWorld+Interop, Server I/O, and Storage Networking World, and has contributed to a number of books, journals, and trade publications. Bill’s most recent position was Director of Research for IDC’s Storage Software service from 2001 to 2005, where he was responsible for research and analysis on the rapidly evolving worldwide markets for storage software, including backup and archiving, data migration and HSM, storage replication, network-attached and SAN-attached storage management, distributed and clustered file systems, and storage resource management.  

Bill holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering and in Humanities and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Reach Bill: wilgnorth@RobertGrayDirect.com 

Janet T Pozen PhD – Director of Market Research

Janet is an experienced market research consultant proficient in qualitative (focus group, in-depth interview) and quantitative (survey) research methodologies. Her research strategies have successfully focused on the development and introduction of new products and services including new technologies and service configurations in the health care marketplace, hard-to-get professionals as research respondents, and blended qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques. 

Her extensive consulting experience and integrative sociological perspective are especially valuable when combining results from diverse players in complex product arenas. In addition to Senior Research positions at Decision Research Corporation and Abt Associates, Janet was Founder and has been CEO of Pozen Research for the past 15 years.   

Janet began her career with a PhD in Social Science Research at The Johns Hopkins University and was Assistant Professor at Boston University School of Medicine in the Department of Socio-Medical Sciences and School and Public Health.  

Reach Janet: jpozen@robertgraydirect.com  

 

For more information on RobertGrayDirect services, please contact Robert Gray at:

 

RobertGrayDirect

617-416-0390

rgray@RobertGrayDirect.com